Interdevice agreement in respiratory resistance values by oscillometry in asthmatic children

What is it about?

Plain language title How well do respiratory resistance values agree measured on different devices in asthmatic children What is this about? One easy-to-perform technique to measure lung function in children, called the oscillometry, can be done using different devices. This technique is particularly useful to follow the progress of young children with respiratory disease, such as asthma. The question asked was how close are oscillometry values obtained on one device to those obtained on another one, in the same child. Why is it important? As there are not yet any reference values for some of these newer oscillometry devices, we are often forced to interpret values obtained on one instrument using reference values obtained on another one. In children with asthma, we found that, for resistance at 5 Hz, the agreement between values measured on two devices was excellent. However, for all other parameters, some of which are believed to be more sensitive to detecting mild airway obstruction, a difference is observed, that becomes greater as the resistance increases. Add your own perspective. The findings are particularly important in paediatrics as small children and those with respiratory diseases like asthma have higher resistance than healthy adults. In these children, we could notably over- or under-estimate the severity of the obstruction in the airways, by using reference values obtained in one instrument to interpret values obtained in another one. Companies making these devices should therefore standardise their measurements. Until then, it is best to use instrument-specific reference values to interpret measurements obtained in children.

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